Modern Europe

Describing religions in Europe throughout the last two centuries is a difficult task because they have undergone important changes and are highly differentiated from country to country. The relations among churches, states, and society, for example, are deeply connected to the constitutional path and the legal framework of individual states, and this connection affects the daily life of believers. For instance, the role of religion in Italy and in other southern European countries is quite different from that in northern Europe. There is often a gap between the institutional level of religions, including relations between churches and states, and the personal level of religious feelings and practices. Several historical processes and events, as well as recent social and political issues, have affected religions in Europe. The secularization process, the Holocaust, migration flows toward Europe, biotechnology, and terrorism have all hugely affected daily religious life in Europe. This chapter will provide a broad overview of religion in modern Europe.